


the courage of stars

by supersapphicsarchive



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-22 22:24:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18536668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supersapphicsarchive/pseuds/supersapphicsarchive
Summary: Two occasions Malec went stargazing, at different stages of their relationship.





	the courage of stars

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated once again to Mara! She mentioned she'd love a fic with Malec stargazing, so here it is! Hope you like it porkchop!
> 
> Title from "Saturn" by Sleeping at Last bc it's my all-time favorite song, and also it seemed fitting.

_September 21 st, 2016_

“So, where are we exactly?” Alec asks, adjusting his weight until he’s comfortable.

“Tokyo,” Magnus answers, holding out his had for Alec to take.

“Tokyo? Really?” Alec is unable to keep the excitement out of his voice.

“Do you like Tokyo?” Magnus asks.

“I’ve never been. I’ve always wanted to come here though.”

“That’s good to know. I hope you’re ok that we stopped here first instead of going straight into the city.”

“We can always go into the city later. Besides, I like having you to myself. It’s nice, considering how rarely it happens.”

That makes Magnus smile. “You’re awfully sweet.”

Alec doesn’t know how to respond to that. He looks up at the sky, which he can see perfectly from the roof of the skyscraper they’re both laying on (there’s a quilt between their bodies and the floor, of course, to protect their clothes).

“The view from up here is amazing,” he says. “How did you know about this place?”

“I used to live in this building,” Magnus replies. “Back in the 1960s. It’s been renovated since then, but it’s still the same building, so I can still portal here.”

“I didn’t know you used to live in Tokyo. How long have you been living in New York, then?”

“I’ve lived in New York multiple times,” Magnus explains, “and then left, but always came back again. As for the loft, I’ve been living there since the mid 1980s.”

 “Wow,” Alec murmurs. He can’t really wrap his head around the idea that Magnus is actually immortal. That he’s been alive since the 17th century. That he’s lived multiple lifetimes in a row, all before Alec was even born.

Magnus seems to mistake Alec’s silence for something else. “Does that bother you?” he asks carefully. “When I talk about my past?”

“Of course not,” Alec hastens to assure him. He squeezes Magnus’ hand tightly inside his own. “I like hearing about it.” It’s like the stars, he thinks. Looking up at them, he feels small, insignificant – but not in a bad way. Rather, it astounds him to think that he can exist at the same time as something so wondrous. And that’s how he feels about Magnus – Magnus is so incredible, so beautiful, but he still chooses to be with Alec. It makes Alec feel honored. He doesn’t know how to put that into words, though, so instead he says nothing.

Magnus, however, doesn’t seem to mind – Alec’s reassurance about his past seems to have been enough. Magnus smiles warmly at him, then looks up at the stars himself.

“The stars are truly beautiful, aren’t they? It’s a shame you can’t really see them in New York. Although, to be fair, I doubt you could see them down in the city here either. They’re really only visible up high like this.”

Alec scrambles for something to say, something to prove that he’s interesting and clever enough to deserve to be in Magnus’ presence. Unfortunately, the only thing he can think of to say is, “I can make you see stars.”

Magnus freezes. He bites his lip and just stares at Alec, looking stunned. _Did I say something to turn him on?_ Alec wonders frantically. _No, that can’t be true, can it?_

Then he notices Magnus’ shoulders shaking and he realizes with a sinking stomach that Magnus is struggling not to laugh. He starts to pull his hand out of Magnus’, utterly mortified, but Magnus holds fast.

“No, Alexander, wait, wait. I’m not laughing at you, I promise! I just – where did you hear a line like that? You didn’t come up with that yourself, did you?”

“No,” says Alec hesitantly. “I heard Jace say it to a girl once. She, uh, she seemed to like it.”

“Well. With all due respect to Jace and this girl, it’s not a very good line. In fact, using lines at all is highly overrated. I’d much prefer it if you dropped using lines altogether and just told me what’s on your mind. The truth.”

Alec hesitates again. What’s on his mind? But there’s nothing elegant or sexy about that. It’s just a jumbled mess of emotions. But Magnus is looking at him with an encouraging smile on his face, and his thumb is rubbing soothing circles across the back of Alec’s hand, so Alec figures he can give it a shot.

“I think the stars are nothing in comparison to you. That you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. I think....I think that no matter how many times I see you, I’ll never stop losing my breath a little at just how stunning you are.”

Magnus goes still again, but this time Alec detects no signs of subdued laughter. Magnus really does just look speechless, but if it’s in a good or a bad way, Alec isn’t sure. He waits nervously, but luckily, he doesn’t have to wait long: a moment later, Magnus breathes out, “Oh, Alexander,” and then he’s pulling Alec closer to him, into the most wonderful kiss Alec has ever experienced.

Granted, he and Magnus have only kissed twice before this, but it’s still the most amazing kiss he’s ever had. When it ends, Alec doesn’t even want to open his eyes. He keeps his hand cupped around Magnus’ neck and his eyes shut, wanting to savor the afterglow.

When his eyes finally open, he sees Magnus staring at him with an unbearably affectionate expression. Alec didn’t know he could ever make someone feel like that toward him.

“That was much better,” Magnus tells him, his voice soft. “From the heart.” He places the palm of his hand flat against Alec’s chest, right above his heart, and Alec feels his heartbeat thud into overdrive in response.

 _God, I think I’m in love,_ he thinks dizzily. He knows it’s too soon, but he doesn’t care. It’s how he feels.

He can’t even begin to put that into words, however, so he just reaches for Magnus and pulls him into another kiss.

 

 

_September 21 st, 2019 _

“And where are we tonight, Mr. Lightwood-Bane?”

“Well, Mr. Lightwood-Bane, tonight we are in Jakarta. I haven’t been in this city since my childhood, but...I wanted to share it with you, husband.”

“Thank you for trusting me like that, husband,” Alec whispers, picking up Magnus’ hand and pressing a kiss to his knuckles. Of course his lips brush across the wedding ring resting there. They both catch their breath.

“We’re really married,” Magnus says, his voice hushed. “You’re really my husband.”

“Yeah,” Alec breathes, his eyes glued to the ring. “You married me.”

“I did,” Magnus says, his voice just as whisper-soft. He stares at their joined hands and the light glinting off their rings for a moment longer, and then he looks up at the sky. “Do you remember the first time we went stargazing?”

“It was on our second date,” Alec recalls. “I was so nervous.”

“Nervous?” Magnus repeats, surprised. “Why were you nervous, darling?”

“Because you were...you. So glamorous and sophisticated and god, so breathtakingly beautiful. I felt like an absolute novice next to you. I was terrified you would realize how out of my depth I was and lose interest.”

“I had no idea,” Magnus marvels. “You absolutely blew me away with what you said that night, do you remember? About me and the stars?”

“Yeah,” Alec says, smiling. “I told you that the stars were nothing compared to you. You told me to say what was on my mind, and that was it.”

“I fell in love with you in that moment,” Magnus murmurs, lifting their joined hands again to press a kiss to Alec’s ring.

“You did?” Alec asks, sounding stunned.

Magnus smiles. “It was way too early, I know. That was only our second date, but...I couldn’t help it. You said those beautiful words to me, and then, after we kissed, I opened my eyes and you still had yours closed...and the look on your face...I’d never seen anything more beautiful in my entire life. I gave my heart to you in that moment.”

“Magnus,” Alec says, pressing closer. “I fell in love with you that night too.”

Magnus has to laugh at that, shaking his head. “And now here we are, exactly three years later, celebrating our honeymoon. Who would have thought?”

“I wasn’t sure, but I did hope,” Alec tells him. “I wanted you more than anything I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.”

“And now I’m yours, darling, for all of time.” Magnus brushes his fingers across the alliance rune on his neck.

Alec smiles and leans in for a kiss. Magnus kisses his mouth and then ducks his head to press adoring kisses to the alliance rune on the other side of Alec’s neck, opposite his deflect rune. Alec shivers against him and they kiss languidly for several minutes, before Magnus tugs Alec down next to him and begins pointing out various constellations, what they’re called and what they mean and so forth. If Alec stares more at him than the stars, Magnus pretends not to notice.


End file.
